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66-548: Atafu , formerly known as the Duke of York Group , is a group of 52 coral islets within Tokelau in the south Pacific Ocean , 500 kilometres (310 miles) north of Samoa . With a land area of 2.5 square kilometres (1.0 square mile), it is the smallest of the three islands that constitute Tokelau. It is an atoll and surrounds a central lagoon, which covers some 15 km (5.8 sq mi). The atoll lies 800 kilometres (500 miles) south of

132-405: A de jure usually resident population of 1,499 people. The census shows a 6.2% increase in the de jure usually resident population between 2011 and 2016. The nationals of Tokelau are called Tokelauans , and the major ethnic group is Polynesian ; it has no recorded minority groups. About 84% of inhabitants are of wholly or partly Tokelauan ethnicity; people of Samoan ethnicity make up 6.7% of

198-617: A combined land area of 10 km (4 sq mi). In addition to these three, Swains Island ( Olohega ), which forms part of the same archipelago , is the subject of an ongoing territorial dispute; it is currently administered by the United States as part of American Samoa . Tokelau lies north of the Samoan Islands , east of Tuvalu , south of the Phoenix Islands , southwest of the more distant Line Islands , and northwest of

264-462: A halt in new domain registrations, and in November 2023, ICANN terminated Freenom's registrar accreditation due to unresolved breaches. By February 2024, Freenom settled the lawsuit with Meta, announced its exit from the domain business, and by March 2024, 99% of Freenom domains became inaccessible, significantly affecting Cloudflare 's hosted domains. According to the 2016 Tokelau Census, Tokelau has

330-402: A high-speed Internet connection. Foundation Tokelau financed the project. Tokelau gave most domain names under its authority away to anyone for free to gain publicity for the territory. This has allowed the nation to gain enhanced telecommunications technologies, such as more computers and Internet access for Tokelauan residents. By 2012, there were about 120 computers, mostly laptops, and 1/6th of

396-407: A metre of seawater. The cyclone also caused major erosion on several islets of all three atolls, damaging roads and bridges and disrupting electric power and telecommunications systems. The cyclone did significant and widespread damage to food crops including bananas, coconuts and pandanus . It did not seriously injure anyone but villagers lost significant amounts of property. No significant land

462-581: A plane-iron. A few days later, French explorer Captain Morvan sighted Fakaofo. The American expedition reached Nukunonu on 28 January 1841, but did not record any information about inhabitants. On 29 January 1841, the expedition sighted Fakaofo and named it "Bowditch". The Fakaofo islanders were found to be similar in appearance and behavior to the Atafu islanders. Missionaries preached Christianity in Tokelau from 1845 to

528-703: A rock or small island that has little vegetation and cannot sustain human habitation", and further that size may vary from a few square feet to several square miles, with no specific rule pertaining to size. Whether an islet is considered a rock or not, it can have significant economic consequences under Article 121 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea , which stipulates that "Rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf ." One long-term dispute over

594-501: A wide variety of fish in large numbers. The eastern side of the lagoon is a nearly continuous thin strip of land with one small break halfway along its length. In contrast, the western side is composed of reef and several distinct islands, notably the inverted V shape of Atafu Island in the north, Alofi, which extends into the lagoon from the western reef, and the L-shaped Fenualoa in the southwest. The smaller Tamaseko Island lies in

660-481: Is almost entirely dependent on subsidies from New Zealand. It has annual revenues of less than US$ 500,000 (€336,995) against expenditures of some US$ 2.8 million (€1.9 million). The deficit is made up by aid from New Zealand. Tokelau annually exports around US$ 100,000 (€67,000) of stamps , copra and woven and carved handicrafts and imports over US$ 300,000 (€202,000) of foodstuffs, building materials, and fuel to, and from, New Zealand. New Zealand also pays directly for

726-502: Is more than two metres (6.6 feet) above high water of ordinary tides. This means Tokelau is particularly vulnerable to future sea level rise . Until December 2011, Tokelau was 11 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). At midnight 29 December 2011 Tokelau shifted to UTC+13:00 in response to Samoa's decision to switch sides of the International Dateline. This brought Tokelau closer to New Zealand time (and in

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792-520: Is rare and there are no prisons, and offenders are publicly rebuked, fined or made to work. The head of state is Charles III , the King in right of New Zealand , who also reigns over the other Commonwealth realms . The King is represented in the territory by the Administrator – currently Don Higgins. The current head of government ( Tokelauan : Ulu-o-Tokelau ) is Alapati Tavite , who presides over

858-468: The Bounty mutineers . They found no inhabitants, but saw that there were houses containing canoes and fishing gear, which suggested to them that the island was being used as a temporary residence by fishing parties from other, nearby islands. On 12 June 1791, Edwards sailed farther south, and sighted Nukunonu, naming it "Duke of Clarence's Island". A landing party that went ashore was unable to make contact with

924-509: The Cook Islands . Tokelau has a population of approximately 1,500 people; it has the fourth-smallest population of any sovereign state or dependency in the world. As of the 2016 census, around 45% of its residents had been born overseas , mostly in Samoa or New Zealand. The populace has a life expectancy of 69, which is comparable to that of other Oceanian island nations. Approximately 94% of

990-554: The Council for the Ongoing Government of Tokelau , which functions as a cabinet. The Council consists of the faipule (leader) and pulenuku (village mayor) of each of the three atolls. The administrator is appointed by the minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand, and the role of head of government rotates between the three faipule for a one-year term. The Tokelau Amendment Act of 1996 confers legislative power on

1056-685: The Dominion of New Zealand under the administration of Territory of Western Samoa . In 1979, as part of the Treaty of Tokehega , the U.S. formally renounced its prior claim on Atafu and the other Tokelauan islands now under New Zealand sovereignty, and a maritime boundary between Tokelau and American Samoa was established. On 26 August 2007, Ralph Tuijn , who was attempting to row a boat from South America to Australia, crash-landed on Atafu. On 26 November 2010, three teenage boys from Atafu were rescued after having drifted 1,300 km (800 mi) for 50 days in

1122-554: The General Fono , a unicameral body. The number of seats each atoll receives in the Fono is determined by population – at present, Fakaofo and Atafu each have seven and Nukunonu has six. Faipule and pulenuku also sit in the Fono. On 11 November 2004, Tokelau and New Zealand took steps to formulate a treaty that would turn Tokelau from a non-self-governing territory to a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand. Besides

1188-697: The Gilbert Islands by the Tokelau Islands (Union Islands) Order in Council, 1916. The annexation took place on 29 February 1916. From the point in time that the islands were annexed, their people had the status of British subjects . Tokelau was removed from the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony and placed under the jurisdiction of the Governor-General of New Zealand in 1925, two Orders in Council being made for

1254-533: The Marshall Islands ' claim to U.S.-administered Wake Island , but the re-emergence of this somewhat dormant issue has been an unintended result of the United Nations' recent efforts to promote decolonisation in Tokelau. Tokelauans have proven somewhat reluctant to push their national identity in the political realm: recent decolonisation moves have mainly been driven from outside for ideological reasons. But at

1320-675: The Stockholm archipelago alone. The following is a list of example islets from around the world. Union Islands Tokelau ( / ˈ t oʊ k ə l aʊ / ; lit.   ' north-northeast ' or ' north wind ' ; known previously as the Union Islands , and, until 1976, known officially as the Tokelau Islands ) is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean . It consists of three tropical coral atolls : Atafu , Nukunonu , and Fakaofo . They have

1386-666: The United Kingdom by an Order in Council that claimed jurisdiction over all unclaimed Pacific Islands . Commander C. F. Oldham on HMS Egeria landed at each of the three atolls in June 1889 and officially raised the Union Flag , declaring the group a British protectorate . In conformity with desire expressed by "the Native government" they were annexed by the United Kingdom and included in

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1452-610: The United Nations General Assembly included Tokelau on its list of non-self-governing territories . Its inclusion on this list is controversial, as Tokelauans have twice narrowly failed to vote for further self-determination , and the islands' small population makes the viability of self-government challenging. The basis of Tokelau's legislative, administrative and judicial systems is the Tokelau Islands Act 1948 , which has been amended several times. Since 1993,

1518-428: The tropical cyclone belt has led to damage to island properties on occasion. Some 70 ha of the southern and south-western parts of the atoll have been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because the site supports breeding colonies of brown and black noddiess and common white terns , with about 30,000 breeding pairs estimated in 2011. It is likely that Polynesians visited

1584-483: The 1 May 2006 issue of The New Yorker magazine. A repeat referendum took place on 20–24 October 2007 , again narrowly failing to approve self-government. This time the vote was short by just 16 votes or 3%. In May 2008, the United Nations' Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged colonial powers "to complete the decolonization process in every one of the remaining 16 non-self-governing territories ", including Tokelau. This led The New Zealand Herald to comment that

1650-868: The 1870s. French Catholic missionaries on Wallis Island (also known as 'Uvea) and missionaries of the Protestant London Missionary Society in Samoa used native teachers to convert the Tokelauans. Atafu was converted to Protestantism by the London Missionary Society, Nukunonu was converted to Catholicism and Fakaofo was converted to both denominations. The Rev. Samuel James Whitmee, of the London Missionary Society , visited Tokelau in 1870. Helped by Swains Island -based Eli Jennings senior, Peruvian "blackbird" slave traders arrived in 1863 and kidnapped nearly all (253) of

1716-535: The 2013 New Zealand census, more than 7,000 people identified as Tokelauan, almost five times as many as live in Tokelau itself. Depletion of tuna has made fishing for food more difficult. A significant proportion (44.9% in 2016) of the population were born overseas , mostly in Samoa (15.3% of total population) and New Zealand (11.5%). While slightly more females than males live on Atafu and Fakaofo, males make up 57% of Nukunonu residents. Only 9% of Tokelauans aged 40 or more have never been married. One-quarter of

1782-500: The Duke of Clarence Group, and Fakaofo , once Bowditch Island. Their combined land area is 10.8 km (4.2 sq mi). The atolls each have a number of coral islands , where the villages are situated. The highest point of Tokelau is just 5 metres (16 feet) above sea level . There are no ports or harbours for large vessels, however, all three atolls have a jetty to and from which supplies and passengers are shipped. Tokelau lies in

1848-511: The Navy's multi-role ship, HMNZS  Canterbury , has been employed to provide logistics support to the territory. Little crime has been reported in Tokelau and a total of nine police officers were reported as present as of the early 2020s: three each on Fakaofo, Nukunonu and Atafu. According to the Government they are responsible to the village authorities for the enforcement of law and order and to

1914-531: The Pacific tropical cyclone belt. A fourth island that is culturally, historically, and geographically, but not politically, a part of the Tokelau Islands is Swains Island (Olohega), under United States control since about 1900 and administered as a part of American Samoa since 1925. Swains Island was claimed by the United States pursuant to the Guano Islands Act , as were the other three islands of Tokelau;

1980-423: The Pacific. 8°33′26″S 172°28′15″W  /  8.55722°S 172.47083°W  / -8.55722; -172.47083 Islet As suggested by its origin islette , an Old French diminutive of "isle", use of the term implies small size, but little attention is given to drawing an upper limit on its applicability. The World Landforms website says, "An islet landform is generally considered to be

2046-488: The U.S. Guano Company claimed Duke of York along with a number of other Tokelauan atolls under the U.S. Guano Islands Act. The U.S. State Department bonded the claim in 1860. However, many of these islands were not worked by the company and in 1889 they were claimed by Great Britain as part of the Union Islands . In 1916, the Union Islands were annexed to the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony and then, in 1925, reassigned to

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2112-477: The United Nations was "apparently frustrated by two failed attempts to get Tokelau to vote for independence". In April 2008, speaking as leader of the National Party , future New Zealand Prime Minister John Key stated that New Zealand had "imposed two referenda on the people of the Tokelau Islands", and questioned "the accepted wisdom that small states should undergo a de-colonisation process". Consistent with

2178-478: The able-bodied men to work as labourers, depopulating the atolls. The Tokelauan men died of dysentery and smallpox , and very few returned. With that loss, the system of governance became based on the "Taupulega", or "Councils of Elders", on which individual families on each atoll were represented. During that time, Polynesian immigrants settled, followed by American, Scottish , French, Portuguese and German beachcombers , marrying local women and repopulating

2244-682: The atolls, as well as inter-marriage. Fakaofo, the "chiefly island", held some dominion over Atafu and Nukunonu after the dispersal of Atafu. Life on the atolls was historically subsistence-based, with a diet that relied mainly on fish and coconut . The first European to sight Atafu was British Navy officer Commodore John Byron , on 24 June 1765. He called the island "Duke of York's Island". Parties from his expedition who landed ashore reported that there were no signs of current or previous inhabitants. Captain Edward Edwards , having learned of Byron's discovery, visited Atafu on 6 June 1791 in search of

2310-434: The atolls. In 1856 the United States claimed that it held sovereignty over the island and the other Tokelauan atolls under the Guano Islands Act . In 1979, the U.S. conceded that Tokelau was under New Zealand sovereignty, and a maritime boundary between Tokelau and American Samoa was established by the Treaty of Tokehega . In 1889, Tokelau became a protectorate of the United Kingdom. This lasted until 1916, when it

2376-565: The church and most of the houses on the islands, and wiped out many of the coconut palms. The atoll is roughly triangular in shape and encloses a lagoon some five kilometres (3.1 miles) north to south by four kilometres (2.5 miles) east to west at its widest point. It is low-lying, reaching a maximum altitude of only some five metres (16 feet), and is heavily vegetated with coconut palms and other trees, with undergrowth similar to that found on many small central Pacific islands. Lizards, rats, and seabirds are common on Atafu island. The atoll attracts

2442-496: The cost of medical and education services. Local industries include small-scale enterprises for copra production, wood work, plaited craft goods, stamps, coins, and fishing. Agriculture and livestock produces coconuts , copra, breadfruit , papayas , bananas, figs , pigs, poultry and a few goats. Many Tokelauans live in New Zealand and support their families in Tokelau through remittances . The goal of 100% renewable electricity

2508-436: The economy consisted of income from .tk domain names. According to a 2016 analysis of domain name registration performed by the .uk registrar Nominet using data from ZookNIC, tk domains are the "world's largest country-code domain ... almost as large as second and third place holders China ( .cn ) and Germany ( .de ) combined". On 3 March 2023, Meta sued Freenom for cybersquatting and trademark infringement, leading to

2574-476: The equator at 8° 35' South, 172° 30' West. Atafu is the northernmost area under New Zealand sovereignty. According to the 2016 census, 541 people officially live on Atafu (although only 413 were present the night the census was taken). Of those present, 78% belong to the Congregational Church . The main settlement on the atoll is located on Atafu Island in its northwestern corner. The Presbyterian church

2640-602: The greatest threats to biodiversity is posed by introduced mammalian predators such as the Polynesian Rat . In 2011 Tokelau declared its entire exclusive economic zone of 319,031 km (123,179 sq mi) a shark sanctuary . According to the US Central Intelligence Agency 's list of countries by GDP (PPP) Tokelau has the smallest economy in the world. Tokelau has an annual purchasing power of about US$ 1,000 ( € 674) per capita. The government

2706-461: The inhabitants, but saw " morai s", burying places, and canoes with "stages in their middle" sailing across the island's lagoons. On 29 October 1825, August R. Strong of the USS Dolphin and his crew arrived at the atoll Nukunonu. He wrote: Upon examination, we found they had removed all the women and children from the settlement, which was quite small, and put them in canoes lying off a rock in

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2772-433: The island in ancient times, but they may not have settled there. The European discovery of the atoll came on 21 June 1765; it was made by John Byron , of HMS  Dolphin . Byron found no one living on the island at that time. He named the island "Duke of York's island". According to Tokelauan oral tradition, Atafu was established by a man named Tonuia and his wife named Lagimaina, along with their seven children. In 1859,

2838-414: The island. The residents appeared to be there only temporarily, because there was no chief among them, and they had the kind of double canoes that were typically used for inter-island travel. They appeared to have interacted with foreigners in the past, because they expressed a desire to engage in barter with the expedition crew, and they possessed items that were apparently of foreign origin: blue beads and

2904-590: The islands should become part of New Zealand, revoked the Union Islands (No. 2) Order in Council, 1925, with effect from a date fixed by the Governor-General of New Zealand after he was satisfied that the New Zealand Parliament had provided for the incorporation of the islands with New Zealand, as it did by the Tokelau Islands Act 1948 . Tokelau formally became part of New Zealand on 1 January 1949. The Dominion of New Zealand , of which Tokelau formerly

2970-404: The lagoon close to Alofi. The reef which connects the islands of the atoll is shallow enough that it is possible to walk between the islands at low tide. This also means that there is no boat passage to the lagoon, although the ocean becomes deep very close to the reef. This allows for good anchorage, but also makes for rough seas close to the reef. The flatness of the atoll and its location within

3036-608: The lagoon. They would frequently come near the shore, but when we approached they would pull off with great noise and precipitation. On 14 February 1835, Captain Smith, of the United States whaling ship the General Jackson , wrote of having sighted Fakaofo, which he chose to call "D'Wolf's Island". On 25 January 1841, the United States Exploring Expedition visited Atafu, and discovered a small population living on

3102-473: The latter three claims were ceded to Tokelau by treaty in 1979. In the draft constitution of Tokelau subject to the Tokelauan self-determination referendum in 2006, Olohega (Swains Island) was also claimed as a part of Tokelau, though the claim was surrendered in the same 1979 treaty. This established a clearly defined boundary between American Samoa and Tokelau. Tokelau's claim to Swains is generally comparable to

3168-411: The population speak Tokelauan as their first language. Tokelau has the smallest economy of any nation. It is a leader in renewable energy , being the first 100% solar-powered nation in the world. Tokelau is officially referred to as a nation by both the New Zealand government and the Tokelauan government. It is a free and democratic nation with elections every three years . However, in 2007,

3234-721: The population were born overseas; almost all the rest live on the same atoll they were born on. Most households own five or more pigs. Despite its low income, Tokelau has a life expectancy of 69 years, comparable with other Oceania islands. Tokelau is predominantly Christian with majority belonging to either Congregational Christian Church (Ekalehia Fakalapotopotoga Kelihiano Tokelau) or Roman Catholic. In 2016, 50.4% of responents belonged to Congregational Christian Church, 38.7% were Roman Catholic , 5.9% were Presbyterian , 4.2% were other Christian and 0.8% were unspecified. Majority of resident population of Atafu (78.3%) and Fakaofo (62.7%) identified as Congregational Christians. While

3300-451: The population, and Tuvaluans 2.8%. The main language—spoken by over 90% of inhabitants—is Tokelauan , but almost 60% also speak English. The less than 1,500 Polynesian inhabitants live in three villages. Their isolation and lack of resources greatly limits economic development and confines agriculture to the subsistence level. The very limited natural resources and overcrowding are contributing to emigration to New Zealand and Samoa . In

3366-639: The principles of partnership with New Zealand, defence is the responsibility of the New Zealand Government. The New Zealand Defence Force has responsibilities for protecting the territory as well as its offshore exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The total offshore EEZ is about 300,000 km . Vessels of the Royal New Zealand Navy are employed for this task including its Protector-class offshore patrol vessels . Tokelau has its own customs regulations. Given Tokelau's limited wharf facilities,

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3432-450: The process omitted 30 December). The Time&Date website states that "the international time zone community has apparently been listing the wrong local time for Tokelau since 1901" and that "most sources, including the commonly referred to International Atlas by Shanks/Pottenger, claim that the UTC offset is +14 hours, or equivalent." In 1877, the islands were included under the protection of

3498-533: The public service for their various civil duties. Tokelau includes three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean between longitudes 171° W and 173° W and between latitudes 8° S and 10° S , about midway between Hawaii and New Zealand. From Atafu in the north to Fakaofo in the south, Tokelau extends for less than 200 km. The atolls lie about 500 kilometres (311 miles) north of Samoa . The atolls are Atafu and Nukunonu , both in an island group once called

3564-459: The purpose on the same day. This step meant that New Zealand took over administration of Tokelau from the British on 11 February 1926. At this point, Tokelau was still a territory under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom but administered by New Zealand. The Union Islands (Revocation) Order in Council, 1948 after reciting the agreement by the governments of the United Kingdom and New Zealand that

3630-540: The same time, Tokelauans are reluctant to disown their common cultural identity with Swains Islanders who speak their language. Tokelau is located in the Western Polynesian tropical moist forests ecoregion . Most of the original vegetation has been replaced by coconut plantations, some of which have been abandoned and became scrubby forests. The atolls of Tokelau provide habitat for 38 indigenous plant species, over 150 insect species and 10 land crab species. One of

3696-522: The status of such an islet was that of Snake Island (Black Sea) . The International Court of Justice jurisprudence however sometimes ignores islets, regardless of inhabitation status, in deciding territorial disputes; it did so in 2009 in adjudicating the Romania-Ukraine dispute , and previously in the dispute between Libya and Malta involving the islet of Filfla . There are thousands of islets on Earth: approximately 24,000 islands and islets in

3762-405: The technique called "noose fishing", in which a circle of rope, tied with a noose knot, is dangled in the water; a large fish swims into the rope circle, lured by bait, and the noose is then tightened around its body, holding it fast. They also make well-crafted canoes, which they use for their fishing expeditions. Atafu lies in the Pacific hurricane belt. In January 1914, a massive storm demolished

3828-519: The territory has annually elected its own head of government, the Ulu-o-Tokelau . Before 1993, the administrator of Tokelau was the highest official in the government and the territory was directly administered by a New Zealand government department. Tokelau is a word meaning "north wind" in the native Tokelau language . The Tokelau islands were named the Union Islands and Union Group by European explorers at an earlier time. Tokelau Islands

3894-447: The treaty, a United Nations-sponsored referendum on self-determination took place, with the three islands voting on successive days starting 13 February 2006. (Tokelauans in Apia, Samoa , voted on 11 February.) Out of 581 votes cast, 349 were for Free Association, being short of the two-thirds majority required for the measure to pass. The referendum was profiled (somewhat light-heartedly) in

3960-415: The user owns only usage rights and not the domain itself, or paid, which grants full rights. Free domains are pointed to Tokelau name servers , which redirects the domain via HTML frames to a specified address or to a specified A or NS record , and the redirection of up to 250 email addresses to an external address (not at a .tk domain). In September 2003, Fakaofo became the first part of Tokelau with

4026-585: Was a part, has since been superseded by the Realm of New Zealand , of which Tokelau remains a part. When the British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act 1948 came into effect on 1 January 1949, Tokelauans who were British subjects gained New Zealand citizenship ; a status they still hold. Villages are entitled to enact their own laws regulating their daily lives and New Zealand law only applies where it has been extended by specific enactment. Serious crime

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4092-699: Was adopted as the islands’ official name in 1946. The name was officially shortened to Tokelau on 9 December 1976. Archaeological evidence indicates that the atolls of Tokelau – Atafu , Nukunonu , and Fakaofo – were settled about 1,000 years ago from Samoa and may have been a gateway into Eastern Polynesia. The inhabitants embrace Polynesian mythology and the local god, Tui Tokelau . Over time, they developed distinctive musical and art forms. The three atolls have historically functioned separately politically, while maintaining social and linguistic cohesion. Tokelauan society has been governed by chiefly clans , and there have been occasional skirmishes and wars between

4158-434: Was annexed and incorporated into the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony . In 1926, it was incorporated into New Zealand. Cyclone Percy struck and severely damaged Tokelau in late February and early March 2005. Forecasters underestimated the cyclone's strength and the length of time it would be in vicinity to Tokelau. It coincided with a spring tide which put most of the area of the two villages on Fakaofo and Nukunonu under

4224-763: Was completed in August 2012. In total, 4,032 solar panels are used and 1,344 batteries weighing 250 kilograms (550 lb) each. The systems are designed to withstand winds of 230 km/h (143 mph). By 2011, Tokelau's electricity was 93% generated by photovoltaics , with the remainder generated from coconut oil . As of 2019, increased demand and degradation of batteries had led to increased need for backup power. Plans were made for an additional 210 kW of PV and close to 2MWh of lithium-ion battery capacity. Tokelau has increased its GDP by more than 10% through registrations of domain names under its top-level domain , .tk . Registrations can be either free, in which case

4290-605: Was established on the island in 1858, but today almost all of the residents belong to the Congregational Christian Church. The first village on Atafu was established at its southern end: Residents built houses along the lagoon shore to take best advantage of the cooling trade winds . Fishing is traditionally done by the men on Atafu, and they are highly skilled at it. They use many traditional methods that are passed on from fathers to sons. They create very effective lures, fish traps, nets, and seines. They commonly use

4356-521: Was met on 7 November 2012, according to the Foreign Affairs Minister of New Zealand , Murray McCully . Previously electricity was generated using diesel generators and was only available about 16 hours/day. Three solar power stations with a total generation capacity of 930kWp were installed to provide 100% of current electrical demand from photovoltaics , with lead acid battery backup able to store around 8MWh. The first power station

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